


Happy If You're Happy

by Ithinkwehaveanemergency



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Developing Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-05
Updated: 2018-05-05
Packaged: 2019-05-02 09:00:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14541270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ithinkwehaveanemergency/pseuds/Ithinkwehaveanemergency
Summary: Nolan finds happiness, both slowly and all at once.Based on "Happy If You're Happy" by Matt + Kim





	Happy If You're Happy

When Nolan fell in love, it was with one of the strongest people he’d ever known, but one of the last people he’d ever have expected.

 

For all logical reasons, it shouldn't have worked.  They shouldn't have worked. Nothing about any of it made sense.  And if one day, hell froze over and they didn't want to be together, that would be the reason it ended.  But that wouldn't mean it hadn't been worth it every second.

 

Mason and Corey broke up before college.

 

No one saw it coming.  And more so, no one expected it to be so amicable.

 

As Nolan had earned Scott and Liam’s trust, and got to know the pack better, Mason and Corey were the two he seemed to spend the most time with.  He was just as surprised as everyone else when they split, but they both assured him that nothing would change. That they were still pack and loved each other very much.

 

Having them all gone away at college, even Theo, who’d finished up his wasted year with the other three pack members, was horrible.  They skyped Nolan when they could, each of the four of them individually, and sometimes Corey and Liam together, since they both went to school in Long Beach and they had already developed interlacing friend groups just months into the school year.

 

As the years went by, it was surprisingly easy to stay the tight knit unit they’d quuckly become.

 

Even when it shouldn't have been.

  


**Christmas Eve - 2014**

 

“You okay, bro?”  Corey nudged Nolan.

 

It was Christmas Eve, and they were sitting on the Geyers porch swing.

 

“Shouldn't I be asking you that?”  Nolan laughed lightly. He looked toward the other three men in the front yard.  “Isn't this weird? To be here, together but not… together?”

 

A high pitched screech caught their attention.

 

Theo had Mason thrown over his shoulder as he ran down the sidewalk away from Liam.  Mason was yelling, “Save me Theo, he’s coming for me!” As a completely mud-covered Liam slipped and slid through grass in the front yard.  After the flash storm in Beacon Hills the night before Christmas eve, the Geyers front yard had gotten flooded with the rains.

 

Jenna had ordered Liam and Theo to take down the decorations so that they wouldn't get any more ruined than they already were.

 

Theo, as usual, sat on his ass while Liam attempted to do the work himself.  He laughed it off when Liam scolded him.

 

“I have a date with Parrish later, I can't get all dirty.  He said he’d get dinner with me once I was 21, and I am cashing in on that, big time.”  Theo had shrugged. “Plus if the night goes my way, I'm gonna need all the energy I can get.”

 

Liam had stalked toward the chimera, but Mason, who was standing between them, stuck a foot out to trip his best friend.

 

The end result was Theo carrying Mason to safety with inhuman speed, laughing uncontrollably all the while.

 

“We still love each other.  And we tell eachother everything.  Including how we’ve… We’re trying to move on.”  Corey spoke, shaking Nolan's attention from the ruckus.  Nolan faced him as he went on. “I think we will always love each other.  First loves and all that. But we decided to go to different colleges, 3000 miles apart.  And as we got excited for those new experiences, we just… grew apart. It's not weird though.  Messy? _Jesus, yes.  Very._   _You have no idea_.  We’ve had some recent… hiccups, but...”

 

More squeals of laughter interrupted them and they looked up just as Theo set down the human to save himself instead.

 

“Liam, nooooo!”  Mason cried as Liam smothered him with a muddy hug, so gross the squishing sound could be heard from the porch.  Mason’s squirming was an exercise in futility. He tried to wriggle and writhe his way out of the werewolf’s hold, which ended in the two sprawled on the concrete, covered in wet grass and dirt.

 

Theo laughed and made his way back to the porch, still mud-free.

 

He stopped just short of the steps, looking back at Liam and Mason who were sitting up, ducked together, discussing something with half-hearted smiles.  The two noticed Theo looking back and stopped talking. Mason nodded at the three of them and stood up, helping up Liam as well.

 

“Seriously, Corey?  Your ex’s best friend?”  Theo raised a judgemental eyebrow at his fellow chimera.

 

“Oh, yeah.   _Sure_ .”  Corey narrowed his eyes back at Theo in disbelief.  “Because _you_ were ever able to say no to Liam.”

 

“Point.”  Theo shrugged before turning to walk in the house.  He paused and smirked at Corey. “Fucking _amazing_ at giving head though, isn't he?”

 

Before Corey could respond, a giant clod of dirt flew at Theo, hitting him square in the back of the head.

 

“No reason not to help, now.”  Liam bit his lip and nodded in challenge at his old housemate.  “Is there, bitch?”

 

Corey and Mason laughed hysterically as Nolan continued to watch the display, shell shocked.

 

“I would call ‘messy’ an understatement.”  Nolan whispered as watched Theo and Liam wrestle on the lawn.  He laughed to himself in awe as the pieces finished falling together.

 

He locked eyes with Mason who's grin widened slightly.

 

“What are you laughing at, kid?”  Mason scoffed, running for the two complete clean pack members on the porch, muddied arms wide open.

 

Nolan’s eyes went wide in fear and he reached to his right only to find that Corey had fled from his side and turned invisible.

 

“Mason, noooooo!”  Nolan leapt from his stoop and started sprinting out toward the street.  He laughed in triumph as he watched Mason slip and fall near Liam and Theo, who were pinning a now visible and muddy Corey to the ground.

 

The human stopped and stared at the laughing pile of men, feeling more content and at home than he had in months.

 

**Summer - 2018**

 

Nolan looked across the rooftop lounge and caught sight of his boyfriend.  They were at some posh graduate’s dad’s penthouse apartment at one of the numerous grad parties of the season.

 

Watching his boyfriend tell an elaborate story with his hands, Nolan smiled to himself, a warmth filling his chest despite the crisp New York high line air.  The excitable young man always charmed anyone and everyone he spoke to at these fancy parties.

 

Nolan loved not having to say a word other than hello or goodbye at these parties.  He wasn't much for socializing with New Yorkers. His mind was a calm, quiet place and he liked it that way.  

 

Nolan had zoned off, dreaming of home. Beacon Hills home, that is. His home had been New York the past few years, but Beacon Hills, the preserve, the view of the mountains and the ocean...

 

Nolan missed it most days.

 

But all he had to do was look up and see the excited eyes of a man who he’d called “his” for more than a year.  A strong, intelligent, loving man, who looked more alive in the city than he’d even seen him back in the suburbs.

 

And suddenly... that was home.

 

Nolan took out his phone and snapped a picture of his grinning boyfriend, framed by string lights and purple colored skyline.  He set it as his new lock screen and got up to go join the rest of the group.

  


**Spring - 2015**

 

“Our little baby is all grown up!”

 

Nolan looked up from hugging his classmates in congratulations and farewell.  He excused himself and walked toward Liam and Corey with a smile.

 

“You guys are so embarrassing.”  Nolan laughed right before Liam swooped down to pick him up bridal style and swing him around in a circle, Nolan’s graduation gown flapping about and almost tripping the werewolf.

 

“You _love_ us.”  Corey dismissed the half hearted complaint, pulling Nolan into his arms and covering his face with kisses as soon as he was upright again.  “And we love you. We’re so proud of you, bub.”

 

Nolan hugged back, trying to duck away from the overbearing affection and spotted Mason approaching over Corey’s shoulder, a lei in his hands.

 

“Ugh, there's a reason Mason’s my favorite.”  Nolan whined, pushing the chimera away roughly.

 

“Because I bring flowers?”  Mason beamed, reaching up to place the lei around Nolan’s neck.

 

“You know the way to a man’s heart, Hewitt.  Hawaiian tokens of affection are my weakness.”  Nolan hugged his prior and future schoolmate. “For future reference, I love musubi.”

 

“I love you, bro, but I'm not gonna cook spam for you.”  Mason chuckled into his ear before pulling away. “And you will not be bringing that shit into our apartment next year.”

 

“Dude.  So, you excited for NYU in the fall?”  Corey asked as he pulled Liam into his side.  The happy couple looked at Nolan expectantly.

 

Nolan glanced at Mason and smiled shyly.

 

“To be honest…” Nolan cringed and looked at his feet.  “I'm fucking terrified. I've seen Mason’s Instagram posts.  Everyone looks so cool and I feel like everyone's gonna stare at me like I'm some loser kid from California who doesn't belong.”

 

“Oh, come on, everyone feels that way about college.  You'll be fine.” Liam scoffed. “They ate up Mason like a sponge.”

 

“Okay, I'm gonna ignore how badly you butchered that expression.”  Mason looked at Corey instead of Liam as he spoke, as if holding his ex-boyfriend personally responsible for the idiocy of his best friend.  Corey just sighed.

 

“No, but see, Mason is all like cool and sexy and fits in perfectly everywhere.”  Nolan pouted at the ground. “I'm just like, redneck trailer trash with a California tan.”

 

Corey let out a ‘pfffft’ and rolled his eyes at Nolan’s dramatic comparison of Riverside County to the southern red states.  Nolan looked up and saw Mason blushing and shaking his head.

 

“Are we talking about the same guy, Corey?”  Theo cut in, walking up to group, throwing his arm around Mason’s shoulders.  “I don't think young Mason has ever been called those particular adjectives.”

 

“I have definitely called Mason sexy.”  Liam looked extremely insulted on his childhood best friend’s behalf.

 

“Where the fuck did you disappear to?”  Mason huffed, ignoring Liam. He turned to stand closer to Nolan, shrugging off Theo’s arm.  He seemed eager to change the subject.

 

“I got some teacher’s number.”  Theo winked back at Mason before turning to the group.  “Now c'mon… I thought we were taking the man of the hour out for some good old fashioned partying.”

 

“ _Yes_.”  Mason clapped his hands together, leading the way to the car, everyone falling in line to follow the overly excited planner of the nights celebratory events.  “Let's get this party started.”

 

“Hey, Nolan?”  Corey called, prompting Nolan to fall back behind the other three and walk at his side.  Nolan furrowed his brow in concern as Corey tried to find the words as they walked slowly toward the parking lot.  “Take care of him, out there. Yeah?”

 

“What?”  Nolan laughed in disbelief.  “Mason? I doubt Mason will even want me around that much, he's probably way too cool to have me hanging around with-”

 

“Look, I know the pictures of the parties and school are all impressive.”  Corey nodded grabbing Nolan by the elbow to halt their movement. “But you know, a month ago, after you two had figured out your living situation for August... I jokingly made him promise to bring you back even though you two have this hip new life out there, but he just smiled all sad through the computer and said you'd probably come home every chance you could.”

 

Nolan frowned at Corey, who glanced toward where the other guys were laughing and waiting for them near the car.

 

“He said that its surprising how lonely New York feels sometimes, even when you're crammed shoulder to shoulder on the train or in a party.”  Corey sighed and looked up at Nolan, squeezing his shoulder briefly. “I'm just… I'm glad he’s not gonna be alone now.”

 

Nolan watched Corey walk away toward the man they were talking about and their other friends.

 

“Come _onnn._ ”  Mason yelled, waving them on frantically, his smile threatening to split his face.

 

Despite the churning of nerves in his stomach, Nolan smiled back and hurried to catch up to his boys.

  


**Spring - 2019**

 

“You guys make a _strange_ , but fucking perfect couple.”  Liam sighed, walking up behind Nolan and taking a long swig of his beer.

 

“Yeah.”  Nolan smiled at where his boyfriend was saying his goodbyes on their behalf, a comfortable routine for any gathering, in New York or Beacon Hills.  Nolan turned to Liam with a wry grin. “Just like you and Corey.”

 

Liam sighed heavier and drank more of the alcohol that was not going to affect him, no matter how fast he consumed it.

 

“You'll get back together, dude. Don't act like he isn't staying with you while he's in town.”  Nolan laughed.

 

Liam’s parents had let him move back in after he graduated.  After _the breakup._  Everyone had been surprised to hear that when Corey was in town for the wedding, he was bunking at the Geyer’s with the man who he’d split up with not even six months before.

 

“That's not… It's complicated.”  Liam grunted, walking away without so much as a goodbye.

 

Nolan shook his head, but smiled when his boyfriend approached him, asking if they were all set, to which Nolan nodded enthusiastically.

 

“Can I drive?”  Nolan pleaded, energy level far above his boyfriend’s, since all Nolan had done all night was sit.

 

“You're a horrible driver.”  He got in response.

 

“Babe, you never let me drive when we’re back home.”  Nolan whined. “And then we have to go back to the stupid city where we don't even have a car, and I’m probably going to forget how to drive altogether!”

 

“Fine!”  Nolan jumped at the upset tone in his boyfriend's voice.  They stopped in the middle of the parking lot outside the reception to Scott and Malia’s wedding.  Nolan caught the keys that were thrown angrily at his chest as his boyfriend hissed at him. “You wanna endanger our lives with your horrible driving?  Drive. I dont care. You wanna leave New York and move back to Beacon Hills? Fine. I don't care. Do whatever you want, Nolan.”

 

Nolan's chest tightened in panic as his boyfriend looked down and and fought the tears that threatened to fall down his face.

 

“Babe.  Hey. No, I don't have to drive, I was just fucking around.”  Nolan reached long arms around his neck, pulling him in close and cradling his head affectionately.  Nolan ran his fingers lovingly through the short curly beneath his hand and kissed the man’s forehead when he finally relaxed and hugged Nolan back.  “I… Babe, I would never. I don't want to move to Beacon Hills without you. Where is this coming from?”

 

“This whole trip you've been so obvious about how much you love it here.  You've been so… I dunno. Happy? I mean you still call this _home_ for fucks sake.  It feels like I've been forcing you to stay in New York, just because that's where my life is now, and I feel like you'll grow to resent me.”  The words came out muffled into Nolan’s chest and Nolan’s heart broke a little.

 

“Babe, c’mon.  Look at me.” Nolan pulled back and waiting until big, watery brown eyes met his own.  “Don't you dare think that I would ever be happy somewhere you aren't. Where I am is the last thing on my mind as long as I wake up next to you every morning.  All I need to be happy is your smile.”

 

He laughed against the lips that covered his.  The tightness in his chest released and he allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of his boyfriend’s smile against his own.

  


**New Year’s Eve - 2016**

 

Nolan hugged his hoodie tighter around himself, staring up at the stars.  It was likely less than five minutes til the ball drop, but the warm air inside was stifling.

 

The sliding door to the small balcony opened and Nolan turned toward it, still hunched over in an effort to protect himself from the cold.

 

“Hey!  There you are, kid.  Aren't you freezing?”  Mason clacked his teeth a bit for emphasis.  He shut the door behind himself, all but a crack.

 

“You’re aware that I’m less than 8 months younger than you. Yeah?”  Nolan teased. “I dunno. I just wanted to come out here and wrap my head around spending my first New Year's in New York.  Away from home. It's weird… but I feel like I'm at home. It should probably feel weirder.”

 

Mason didn’t answer, and instead came up behind Nolan, wrapping his arms around his thin waist and resting his chin on Nolan’s shoulder.

 

The two of them made great roommates most of the time, when they actually got to see one another.

 

Nolan’s life had been nuts since the day he set foot in the Big Apple.  He had classes all over the board, not to mention the sports scholarship he’d been accepted on.

 

He would leave in the mornings before Mason’s alarm went off, making sure not to be too loud in their shared bathroom.  He would come home most nights to a Mason-less apartment and pass out with a frozen pizza on his lap with Netflix on autoplay.  He always woke up with a blanket over him, and sometimes with Mason curled up into his side.

 

“It’s because of you, you know.  I feel more at home here, next to you, than I did my entire senior year in Beacon.”  Nolan went on. He heard Mason’s breath catch behind his ear. “I'm glad I'm with you.  I know that its pack that makes me feel like home… but this feels different. It feels like I'm making a life for myself. I'm glad it's with you.”

 

They're silent for a minute. Just watching the cars go by as each of them contemplated the more-than-platonic vibe that their relationship had as of late.

 

“I’m-”  Mason starts, but the sound of the countdown from inside as well as several neighboring parties cuts him off.  Nolan spins around in his arms, not counting along, just pressing his forehead to Mason’s, placing his cold palms on the man’s warm cheeks.

 

“Can I-”  Nolan whispered, inches from Mason’s lips.  “Tell me I'm not alone in this.”

 

Mason swallowed visibly and shook his head as the crowd inside reached ‘five.’

 

“You're not alone.”  Mason smiled, leaning closer.  “I'm right here.”

 

When Mason finally closed the distance between them, neither could tell whether fireworks were coming from them or the midnight sky.

 

**January - 2021**

 

“Hey.  Nol.  Wake up.”

 

“I'm awake!”  Nolan jolted to an upright position, eyes snapping open to meet his boyfriend’s.

 

“Sure, kid.”  Mason smiled back at him before leaning down to kiss him softly, nuzzling against Nolan’s warm cheek. “Let’s go.  I'm hungry. You got all fancy cute to take me out on this excursion. Let me take you somewhere nice.”

 

Nolan rubbed the sleep from his eyes and beamed at Mason.  His boyfriend always had the most satisfied, giddy look on his face when they left a museum.  Usually Nolan could hang the whole way through, but he’d been up preparing an anniversary surprise.

 

Plus, NYSCI is larger than most, and they'd been several times, and Nolan had seen all the cool new exhibits meant for children within the first half hour.

 

Mason’s face when Nolan played with all the kids at the museum firmly reinforced the confidence Nolan needed for the rest of the day he had planned.

 

Nolan checked his phone nervously.  Despite passing out exhausted just 20 minutes before, he felt more energized than ever as he bolted out of his chair and grabbed Mason's hand.

 

“I have a better idea.”  Nolan grinned as he turned to his boyfriend of exactly four years, and friend of four more.  “Let's grab a slice from Artichoke and just walk the rest of the way.”

 

“You hate Artichoke.”  Mason pointed out suspiciously, but he let himself be dragged along down the busy sidewalk.

 

“I do not.”  Nolan gasped, scandalized.  “I just hate that you think it's better than Joe’s.”

 

“It _is_ better than Joe’s though.”  Mason rolled his eyes as they hurried down the stairs to the subway.  “And why are we running?”

 

Nolan took Mason's hand after the were through the turnstile and pulled him into the closest car just before the doors closed.

 

“First of all, this is not running.  We were gonna miss the train.” Nolan smiled, putting his arms around Mason’s neck and kissing him on the nose.  “Second, don't make me break up with you over your horrible taste in pizza on our anniversary.”

 

Mason shook his head and ducked out of Nolan’s arms to find a seat for the 20 minute ride to union square.

 

*****

 

“I'm so full.”  Mason whined. “Why did you let me get that second slice.”

 

“Because you wanted it.”  Nolan giggled, slightly drunk off the celebratory shots they'd stopped for right before dinner.  He turned the key for the building and let Mason in ahead of him. “And my baby gets anything he wants.”

 

“Your _baby_ is gonna be fat if you keep that mentality.”  Mason panted after the first flight of stairs. “Let's move.  There's too many stairs.”

 

“We live on the fourth floor!”  Nolan giggled again, passing his boyfriend with a quick pat on the butt.  “Don't be lazy. I promise if you make it up the rest of the stairs, I'll make it worth your while.  I mean, I shaved today and everything.”

 

Nolan smiled down at Mason from the next landing, rubbing a hand across his smooth chin.

 

“Yeah, okay. Let's go.”  Mason shrugged, hustling up the stairs twice as fast as before.

 

Nolan laughed, following close behind and reaching in front of Mason at their door to put the key in the lock.  He paused before going for the second lock, turning and kissing Mason’s lips firmly.

 

“You know that I love you, no matter what. Right?”  Nolan smiled shakily and looked at his boyfriend’s confused expression.

 

“Nolan, wh-”

 

“Just.”  Nolan shut his eyes and let out a heavy breath.  “I just want you to know that... I'm only happy when you're happy.  Whatever you choose.”

 

Nolan ignored his boyfriend's questioning gaze and pushed open the door to their apartment.

 

Mason turned and stepped over the threshold slowly.

 

“Holy…” Mason froze and Nolan could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he shut the door behind his and bit his lip, feeling more nervous than he’d felt in the past eight years.

 

He opened his mouth to say something but the words got stuck on the lump in his throat.  He sucked in air and walked forward to stand next to Mason, patiently waiting for any sort of response.

 

“Intense.”  Mason spoke slowly, still in shock.

 

Nolan’s chest tightened even more as he rocked back on his heels and crossed his arms, suddenly much less sure of himself then before.

 

“Yes.”  Mason whispered, barely audible, after a few seconds of silence.

 

Relief flowed through every vein in Nolan’s  body and as Mason looked up at him with tears in his eyes and nodded.

 

“Yeah, kid.”  Mason laughed soft and awed in the quiet of the room, eyes flicking to the rose petals on the floor, laid out in the shape of a heart with the words, ‘ _Marry Me?’_ inside.  He let out a loud laugh, then, that sounded suspiciously like a sob.  “Fuck. Yes, let's get married. Shit. I have never wanted anything more in my life.  If you seriously want this, then of course, yes. Because I'm only happy when you're happy, too.”

 

Nolan tugged his _fiance_ closer and slotted their lips together, kisses alternating between heated and broken up by overwhelming giggles of disbelief.  When they parted, they stared at each other for minutes, or hours possibly, and Nolan felt himself unable to tear his gaze away from the laughter lines around Mason’s eyes.

 

“I hope you don't think that just because you're the one who proposed, I'm gonna take your last name.”  Mason broke the silence, sporting a playful glare that did nothing to disguise the joy in his gaze. He faced the words on the floor and put his hands on his hips.  “Or that I'm gonna help you clean this up.”

 

“Nah.  I'll do it, babe.  But let's leave it a bit yeah?  Lydia, actually her roommate Nicholas, spent all afternoon laying it out for me and putting up with my angry texts critiquing the pictures she sent of his progress.”  Nolan came up behind Mason, wrapping his arms around his waist from behind and hooking his chin over the shorter man’s shoulder. “Also, I quite like the sound of ‘Nolan Hewitt’... Corey and Liam agreed when they were giving me a pep talk over skype.  They said it's got way less of a douchey softcore-pornstar vibe than Mason Holloway.”

 

Mason barked out a surprised cough at that, and his eyes stayed firmly closed as he shook with laughter.  Nolan pressed a kiss to his temple and threaded their fingers together as they swayed back and forth happily in place.

 

Wherever Nolan ended up, he knew that everything would always be easy, even when it shouldn't be, as long as he had Mason smiling back at him.

 


End file.
